'Very small' number of eggs linked to contamination scare distributed in UK

A "very small number" of European eggs at the centre of a contamination scare have been distributed in Britain, but the public health threat is "very low", the Food Standards Agency said.

Aldi and Lidl stores in Germany have already taken millions of eggs off shelves amid fears they are tainted with traces of the pesticide Fipronil.

Supermarket giant Aldi said it was a "purely precautionary" measure and added that eggs sold in its UK stores were produced in Britain.

The scare started in the Netherlands and Belgium and it is thought that Dutch disinfectant is at fault.

Dozens of farms are being checked in the Netherlands, while Belgium's food safety agency is probing how Fipronil might have entered eggs destined for supermarkets.